Give Kids Opportunities to Develop Social Skills

Social and emotional development is crucial, especially when it comes to making friends and dealing with uncomfortable situations.

As children branch out and explore the world, social and emotional development, which starts from birth, becomes more and more critical. Building self-confidence in social situations is not only essential to get along with others on a daily basis, but it will help kids transition to new situations and take on opportunities for leadership roles and more. To achieve success in school and beyond, children must learn to understand emotions, express emotions, and manage emotions in appropriate ways. This will then lead them to learn to cooperate with others, handle frustrations, and resolve conflicts. 

Play is an important part of a child’s social development. Playing games, for example, can reinforce taking turns, manners, and good sportsmanship. When you play with your child, you model the social behavior will be picked up by your child like a sponge. Toys, puzzles and books can introduce emotions and reinforce social skills. Classic games can also engage family members of all ages, time and time again. Imaginary play with playhouses, themed playsets, dolls, animals and puppets also give children the opportunity to play out social situations and practice social and emotional skills. And when they engage in imaginary or pretend play with others, they have an opportunity to develop communication skills.